UNI did a decent job containing UC Davis’ high-powered attack, but too many missed offensive opportunities were the difference between jubilation and season-ending disappointment. The No. 6 Aggies escaped with a 23-16 win and will advance to the FCS playoff quarterfinals against Eastern Washington.

UNI (7-6) reached the end zone just once, had to settle for three field goals (including one miss) and also threw a red-zone interception. For the second consecutive week, the Panthers offense was inconsistent and spotty.

Still, UNI was in position late for a game-tying drive. A missed UC Davis field goal kept the deficit at seven with just over five minutes to play. Eli Dunne (22-for-40, 273 yards, two interceptions) guided the Panthers into Aggie territory, and Marcus Weymiller (14 carries, 42 yards) kept the drive alive with a key 18-yard run on fourth-and-short.

But the possession stalled out just as UNI neared the red zone. A fourth-down incompletion to Briley Moore was the final straw.

The Panthers held UC Davis to its third-lowest point total of the season, containing quarterback Jake Maier and wide receiver Keelan Doss as best it could. Maier threw for 310 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice. Doss hauled in nine catches for 137 yards but had only one grab in the second half.

The Panthers sliced into a 16-6 halftime deficit on Trevor Allen’s third-quarter TD run and Austin Errthum’s fourth-quarter field goal. An upset was within reach, but UNI’s dream of an emphatic playoff run died in California.

Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.